Finding Your Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Life Worth Living
Right, so you’ve probably heard the word “ikigai” floating around lately?
Ikigai (pronounced “ee-key-guy”) is this brilliant Japanese concept that basically translates to “a reason for being.” Break it down and you get “iki” meaning life, and “gai” meaning worth or value. Pretty neat, eh?
Now, forget everything you’ve seen about those four-circle diagrams with “what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.” I nice concept, but that’s actually a Western interpretation that’s missed the point entirely. The real ikigai is much more down-to-earth.
The Real Deal on Ikigai
Ikigai doesn’t have to be some grand, world-changing passion. It’s not about finding your dream job or discovering some hidden talent you never knew you had. It’s way more everyday than that.
Your ikigai could be your morning flat white. It could be the way your dog greets you when you get home from work. Maybe it’s that weekly catch-up with your mate, or the satisfaction you get from a good garden weeding session. It’s literally anything that makes you think, “Yeah, life’s worth living for this.”
Ikigai has two parts: the things that give your life meaning, and the feeling that your life has value because of those things.
It’s not about being busy all the time or finding some epic purpose that’ll change the world. Sometimes your ikigai is just being present for the good stuff – like watching a decent sunset or having a proper yarn with someone you care about.
So how do you find your ikigai? Start paying attention to the moments when you feel properly content. Not Instagram-happy or anything flash, just genuinely good about life. Maybe it’s when you’re pottering around the garden, or when you’re having a laugh with your mates, or even when you’re just sitting with a cuppa watching the rain.
Don’t overthink it. Your ikigai doesn’t need to be profound or impressive. It just needs to be yours.
Why This Matters (Especially Now)
Life seems pretty full-on lately, for most of us, certainly it is for me? Between work stress and just general life admin, it’s easy to forget why we’re doing any of this. That’s where ikigai comes in handy – it’s like a gentle reminder that life’s still got good bits, even when everything feels a bit much. I need to remember this hence my reading into this concept.
The Japanese have known this for ages. It’s why you’ll see elderly folks in Okinawa still getting up every morning with purpose, whether that’s tending their gardens or catching up with neighbours. They’ve figured out that happiness isn’t about the big achievements – it’s about having something, however small, that makes getting up worthwhile.
For the next week…
I’ll try and just notice what makes me feel good. Not what I think should make me feel good, but what actually does. Maybe it’s a morning coffee ritual, maybe it’s the satisfaction of crossing something off my list or walking the dogs.
That’s ikigai right there – the small, everyday things that remind you why life’s worth living. And honestly?
The Core Principles of Ikigai
Now that we’ve sorted out what ikigai actually is, let’s dig into the principles that make it work. These aren’t some made-up rules from a self-help guru – they come straight from the centenarians of Okinawa, Japan’s longest-living region, where ikigai is the reason they get up in the morning.
The Traditional Japanese Values Behind Ikigai
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s worth understanding that ikigai is built on some pretty solid Japanese cultural foundations. There’s wa (harmony) – the idea that everything should be in balance, not just rushing around like mad. Then there’s kodawari – this beautiful concept of commitment to mastery and paying attention to the small details. It’s like how your nan might spend ages perfecting her scone recipe, not because she has to, but because getting it right matters to her.
This philosophy reflects core Japanese values: the pursuit of wa (harmony), an unwavering dedication to mastery, and the understanding that personal excellence serves the greater good. Pretty choice way to approach life, if you ask me.
The 10 Rules of Ikigai (Straight from Okinawa)
These principles come from researchers Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, who spent time with the incredibly long-lived residents of Okinawa. The book IKIGAI concludes with 10 ten rules of ikigai that the author’s distilled from the wisdom of long-living residents of Ogami in Okinawa. Here’s how they translate to our Kiwi lifestyle:
1. Stay Active – Don’t Retire (Mentally) Many of the world’s longest-lived people work well into their 80’s and 90’s or don’t retire. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to keep slogging away at a job you hate until you drop. It’s about staying mentally and physically engaged with life. Maybe it’s volunteering, maybe it’s learning guitar, maybe it’s just being the person in your street who knows everyone’s names.
2. Take It Slow In a world that’s constantly telling us to hustle and grind, ikigai says “nah, slow down mate.” Life’s not a race. Take time to actually taste your food, have proper conversations, and notice what’s happening around you.
3. Don’t Fill Your Stomach Completely The Okinawans have this practice called “Hara Hachi Bu” – eating until you’re 80% full, promotes longevity. This principle helps maintain a healthy weight and prevents overindulgence. It’s basically about knowing when enough is enough, which is pretty wise advice for more than just food.
4. Surround Yourself with Good Mates Human connections are vital. The Okinawans have these groups called “moai” – basically your crew who you can count on through thick and thin. Having people who actually give a damn about you isn’t just nice, it’s essential for a good life.
5. Get in Shape for Your Next Birthday This isn’t about getting ripped for summer – it’s about staying physically capable enough to enjoy life. Whether that’s a daily walk, a bit of gardening, or even just dancing around the kitchen while you cook dinner.
6. Smile and Be Positive Sounds a bit cheesy, but there’s something to it. It’s not about fake positivity – it’s about choosing to focus on the good stuff when you can. Even when things are tough, there’s usually something small worth appreciating.
7. Reconnect with Nature Get outside, even if it’s just sitting in your backyard or going for a walk around the block. We’re not meant to be stuck indoors all the time. Nature has this brilliant way of putting things in perspective.
8. Give Thanks Take a moment to appreciate what you’ve got. Not in a Instagram-gratitude-journal way, but just genuinely acknowledging the good things in your life, however small they might be.
9. Live in the Moment Stop worrying about next week or dwelling on last month. Right now is all you’ve actually got, so you might as well pay attention to it.
10. Follow Your Ikigai Once you discover your ikigai, pursuing it and nurturing it every day will bring meaning to your life. Whatever makes you feel like life’s worth living – keep doing it, keep protecting it, keep coming back to it.
The Bottom Line
Ikigai isn’t about finding your calling or revolutionising your life. It’s about recognising that you probably already have plenty of reasons to be here – you just need to pay attention to them.
The principles aren’t complicated: stay active, take things slow, appreciate what you have, maintain good relationships, and keep finding small things that make life worth living.
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